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The Complete Creative Professional
Personal Branding, Portfolio Development & Career Coaching for Graphic Artists
A complete professional presence, built the way Ellis built his own.
Ellis Ricketts coaches graphic designers, illustrators and visual artists on building a complete professional presence. He draws on more than 20 years of his own practice: freelance design and branding, album artwork, painting and exhibitions, and film and television art departments in Toronto and Ontario.
He has built that presence himself, from portfolio, resumes and artist biographies to his own websites, directory listings and the businesses he runs, and he helps other artists do the same: define what they do, show it clearly, and get it in front of the right people.
The program is for graphic designers, illustrators and visual artists at any stage: students putting a first portfolio together, freelancers ready to look as good as their work, and artists moving into a new field.
Five areas of the program
Each one is something Ellis has done for his own career; the examples are his.
Creative Identity & Personal Branding
What you do and who it is for: professional identity, specialization, artist biographies, visual presentation and creative positioning.
From Ellis's practiceEllis presents one identity everywhere, graphic designer, illustrator and film/TV graphic artist, with separate homes for design (ellisricketts.com) and original art (ellisricketts.art).
Portfolio & Resume Development
Portfolio structure, project descriptions, resumes, case studies and professional presentation.
From Ellis's practiceHe keeps separate resumes for film and for senior graphic design, and tells each production as a case study with credits, stills and the work behind them.
Websites & Online Presence
Artist websites, professional directories, social media, image search and digital discoverability.
From Ellis's practiceHe designs his own sites, and keeps IMDb, ArtStation, LinkedIn and his social profiles pointing back to one hub.
Clients & Professional Communication
Client outreach, pricing fundamentals, proposals, networking and professional correspondence.
From Ellis's practiceMore than 20 years of work for brands, musicians and small businesses, from first inquiry to final files.
Career Strategy & Growth
Employment opportunities, freelance development, creative networking and long-term career planning.
From Ellis's practiceHe moved from freelance graphic design into film and television art departments, while building an apparel brand and a resource library for other artists.
See it applied
Toronto film sets, Windsor roots, client design, an apparel brand and a personal art practice: one presence.
- One identity, two homesEvery profile, portfolio and credit in one place
- Film résumé & portfolioSeparate film and graphic design resumes
- A production case studyCredits, stills and the work behind them
- An artist gallery(opens in a new tab)Original art presented apart from client work
Coaching is guidance, not a guarantee: results depend on your work and the market. Sessions are held remotely by video.